"Hole-by-hole" description of the course.

NOTE: This page will have a map with clickable links to the various hole pages (or sections of the same page.)

Holes #1, #3, #4, #7 & #9 are par 4's. Holes #5 & #6 are par 5's and holes #2 & #8 are par 3's. Hole number #9 is considered to be the most difficult with hole #8 considered, because of its length, to be the easiest. If, however, you read the description for hole #8 below, you may find that while this hole may be easy if you hit the green an errant tee shot left or right will have you leaving the hole grateful that you did not score higher than a bogey. Golfers play the white tees the first nine and the blue tees the second nine.

The short distance of the course is offset by tight fairways and small, fast undulating greens. Out of bounds borders holes #3 through #6 with the golfer finding heavy rough and tall oak trees should they venture off the fairways. Only two holes, #3 & #7, have fairway bunkers. Holes #5 and #8 do not have any green side bunkers. No par 5 is over 500 yards, no par 4 is over 400. This would suggest that distance off the tee would be the key to be shooting a low score. This usually proves not to be the case. Many of the greens do not face the tee directly. With the exception of the 6th green none can be considered truly flat. Therefore you may not be able to get close to the hole unless you are approaching the green from the correct side of the fairway.

We hope that you have an opportunity to play Suffield Country Club. We are sure that you will find it an enjoyable experience.

Hole #1 - 330 yards, Par 4 - 3rd most difficult hole

This hole slopes down for the first 220 yards and then has a slight upslope to the green. There is a line of pine trees on the right and a new pond that guards the green from 100 yards to the front edge of the green. Once you reach the flat heavy rough lines the left side. The approach to the green is orientated towards the right. Drives to the left of the fairway or farther will require an approach shot over a newly designed bunker that is deep and unforgiving. In addition there is a new bunker on the right front of the green that is just like the one on the left.

This is a two tiered green. The green slopes back to front. Over the green is out-of-bounds. You never want to be above the hole on your approach shot. Because of the severity of the slope, putts (on either tier) that just go past the hole will end up a couple to several feet by. If the pin is on top and you miss the hole you may be left with a 30-foot return putt. The most difficult pin placement on this hole is front right.

Hole #2 - 195 yards, Par 3 - 6th most difficult hole

Because it is a par 3 this hole is rated easier than all holes with the exception of #8. However, birdies are very rare and most people are more than content to leave with a par. Depending on the tee placement this hole can play as long as 225 yards. The tee sits slightly above the green. The green slopes back to front with a mound in the back middle. There is a slope on the left front approach to the green with a bunker at the bottom of the slope. It is actually preferable to hit your ball in this bunker as opposed to leaving it on the slope. The slope has heavy rough and most times a golfer is happy just to extract their ball let alone hoping to get it close to the pin. There is a bunker on the right front side of the green and a bunker over the middle back of the green. Out of bounds is in the parking lot to the left and anywhere past the fence over the green.

If the pin is on the right side you will have a relatively easy approach, with the possibility of the ball landing short and bouncing on (although a shot hit even a little right will more than likely kick right into the bunker or rough). If the pin is on the left side you will be faced (if you wish to hit it close) with hitting a tee ball directly over the bunker/slope to the smallest portion of the green. Due to the slope of the green, and the mound in back center, just hitting your ball on the right side of the green makes birdie difficult and par not a certainty. The most difficult pin placement on this hole is the front left, although, the slope of the green and the fact that this is the finishing hole makes any pin placement potentially tough.

Hole #3 - 371 yards, Par 4 - 4th most difficult

You begin play on the crest of a sloping hole that drops approximately 40 feet. At about 220 yards on either side are fairway bunkers. Huge trees line the left side of the fairway. At this height a pulled or hooked drive has a good chance at clearing them, however you will not find it so easy to shoot over them once you are at ground level. Out of bounds and small forest borders the right side of the fairway. Sometimes an extreme right tee is used which requires the golfer to fade the tee shot however from the normal tee placements the location of the pin dictates whether you should fade or draw the ball. On this hole a drive straight down the middle will allow you to attack most any pin placements.

A well-struck tee shot should, even if slightly pushed or pulled clear the fairway bunkers. The green is slightly bell-shaped with the head of the bell facing towards the tee. Sloped bunkers line both fronts of the green. Because of this an extreme right pin placement will be hard to attack from the right side of the fairway with an extreme left pin placement being hard to attack from the left side of the fairway. The last 10 feet of the green slopes back leaving very little room for error when there is a back pin placement. This is a fair test of golfing ability. It rewards good play while penalizing the golfer who has yet to get his or her tee shots up to par. And, when the pin is back right, the second shot can be a knee-knocker.

Hole #4 - 297 yards, Par 4 - 8th most difficult

This hole looks like it should be an easy birdie, with par being the worst score you should get. While pars may be plentiful this is a good example of how to design a short hole. On the tee you are faced with a small gully in front of you with a steep face. Out-of-bounds runs the entire length of the right side and around beyond the green. On the left is large oak tree (which comes into play more on the next hole) with heavy rough on both the left and right sides. A couple of trees on the right side(both of which are still growing and will really vex golfers in the coming years) and a few smallish evergreens on the left can play havoc with an errant tee shot (as can a ball badly pushed or sliced which will likely end up out of bounds). The front of this two tiered green faces the right side of the fairway with the back portion open to shots from either the left or right side of the fairway. Two sloped bunkers guard the front left and right sides of the green. The backside of the green is slightly raised with out-of-bounds a possibility for a ball struck over the green.

The 4th Green

If the pin is in the front you should hit a tee ball to the right side of the fairway. A common mistake is to try to "bomb" a tee ball, which may leave you having to hit a delicate shot over a bunker to a sloping green. Even if the pin is in the back, trees or bushes may hinder a long errant drive. If the pin is in the front don't hit it onto the back as you will have a putt that drops about five feet. If the pin is in the back don't leave you ball in the front as you may have a putt with a sizeable break. Numerous golfers have hit this green in two only to leave with a bogey. The most difficult pin placement is back right.

Hole #5 - 498 yards, Par 5 - 2nd most difficult hole

This is a dog leg right. Gullys border the left and right side of the fairway until approximately 100 yards from the green when the brook returns into play. A lateral hazard runs the length of the right side almost to the green (at which point it becomes out-of-bounds). On the tee shot you are faced with a hazard on the right, a large oak tree guarding the left side and another gully (not a hazard) approximately 210 yards straight out. Should you hit a very long drive you may have a chance to reach the green in two. However, most individuals find the risk too great for the reward. The smart play is to hit a club from the tee that will travel 180 190 yards. This should leave you with a second shot that is approximately 200 yards from the brook. The brook sits at the bottom of a sloping hill. Therefore your next play should be a shot of approximately 160 yards which will leave you a flat lie at the top of the hill. From the top of the hill you will be able to view the pond which fronts the left portion of the green and makes going for the green in two a dicey proposition.

The 5th Green

You will be left with an approach shot of approximately 140 yards to a green that sits a little below top of the hill. A steep bank with rough is on the left and the green falls off about 4 feet to the right. The green slopes back to front. If at all possible you do not want to be above the pin. The most difficult pin placement is front right.

Hole #6 - 435 yards, Par 5 - 5th most difficult hole

This hole presents a good opportunity for birdie. Long hitters will definitely have an chance to reach this green in two. This is the only hole where the second shot (and possibly the third shot) will be blind. Out of bounds runs the entire length of the right side. The hole slopes slightly up until approximately 260 yards out where there is hill of approximately 20 feet in height. The last 70 yards to the green is relatively flat. There is a sand trap approximately 20 yards long, which fronts the left side of the green and a small pot bunker in the front right of the green. The green falls off approximately 7 feet to the right and slopes down severely behind the green.

The 6th Green

If you wish to attempt to reach this green in two you should approach the hole from the right side of the fairway. The left side may require you to clear two small trees and also to play over the long left sand trap. As you will not be able to see the green you should aim between the two pine trees. If you don't decide to go for the green in two you should at the very least make sure you hit a shot that reaches the top of the hill thereby giving you a clear shot at the green. The green slopes back to front, but not as severely as the 3rd green. The most difficult pin placement is front left.

Hole #7 - 345 yards, Par 4 - 7th most difficult hole

As with the first hole you are teeing off a hill that is approximately 30 feet high. There are two fairway bunkers on the left and right side approximately 220 yards away. The one on the right side is slightly closer to the tee and may not be visible. Large trees with low hanging branches border both the left and right side. As with the first hole it is very easy to hit a tee ball over these trees, however it is difficult to clear them from ground level. A bunker protects the front right of the green, a bunker sits on the left front side of the green and a hidden bunker protects the back of the green. The green slopes severely back to front with the first 5 feet actually sloping front to back. This causes balls that are hit on the front of the green to actually gain momentum as they proceed to the back of the green. You ball may actually stop quicker if you hit it a little further back onto the green.

The 7th Green

Except for an extreme left pin placement you want to approach this green from the left side of the fairway. The most difficult pin placement is front left.

Hole #8 - 137 yards, Par 3 - 9th most difficult hole

Is this the easiest hole on the course? Certainly if you hit the green it is. The green on this hole is basically flat with a slight back to front slope. The hole plays anywhere from 130 to 140 yards in length which means that most individuals can reach it with a short to medium iron. It is only one of two holes (the other being the 3rd) that does not have a sand trap.

The problem comes when you miss the green. The green sits on a crown with a tree protecting the left front portion. The left side drops off severely approximately 15 feet, the right side about 4 feet. Far back left can bring the brook into play. This is no rough in the front so that a tee shot that is short can be putted. A tee shot that just lands on the front of the green more than likely will roll back off the green. While the front middle can be a difficult placement the truly hardest (and infrequently used) is back left. A pin placement here requires you to draw the ball of the tee. A shot pulled left will hit the tree in front and a shot pushed the slightest bit right will more than likely end off the green to the right.

Hole #9 - 398 yards, Par 4 - 1st most difficult hole

This is a dogleg left. From the tee to the green the hole slopes upward with the last 60 yards rising 35 feet. Large trees line both the left and right side of the fairway. A large tree on the left corner makes it very difficult to hit a fade tee shot that will remain in the fairway. Hitting a medium drive should leave you with about 160 yards to the pin. Because of the height of the hill you will need to add 10 yards to any approach shot. Two deep bunkers in front of both sides of the green guard against errant shots to the left and right. The green slopes back to front with a slight depression in the front right. At all costs you want to avoid hitting the ball over the green, as you will be faced with an extremely difficult chip shot.

This hole rightly is rated the hardest hole on the course. Most individuals will have difficulty reaching the green in regulation. Those that do may be faced with a very demanding two putt. Probably the most difficult pin placement is front right.